Rocker arm refacing machine



Aug. 14, 1956 Filed June 1, I L954 R. MEREDITH ROCKER .ARM REFACING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. A 4 Y Mmw/ TH 6 JJW 4, 1956 R. MEREDITH 2,758,424

ROCKER ARM REFACING MACHINE 10 Z6 INVENTOR.' @w Mmfip/ m 4 7 Bli' United States Patent ROCKER ARM REFACING MACHINE Ray Meredith, Temple City, Calif.

Application June 1, 1954, Serial No. 433,687

10 Claims. (Cl. 51-56) This invention relates to a machine for refacing the cam-engaging ends of the rocker arms of an internal combustion engine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ma chine that so moves the rocker arms to be refaced that the refaced portions are moved arcuately around their normal center of rotation or oscillation while maintaining guiding or machining engagement with the refacing tool of said machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character referred to in which the refacing tool is reciprocated while the rocker arms are oscillated so as to produce a convexly curved end on each rocker arm brought into operative engagement with the tool.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine, as above, in which a rocker arm assembly is adjustably carried for successive location of each arm of said assembly in refacing position.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a rocker arm refacing machine according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the ends of a rocker arm mounting bar broken away.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of said machine, the rocker arm assembly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 being omitted.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view, partly broken away.

The refacing machine that is illustrated comprises, generally, a base or pedestal 5, a power tool 6, means 7 slidably mounting said tool on the base 5, means 8, controlled by an operator, to slidably move said tool 6 in a reciprocative path, guide means 9 adjustably carried by the base 5, a bar member 10 slidably carried by the means 9 for transverse adjustment relative to the reciprocative movement of the tool 6, said bar member 10 being adapted to removably mount a rocker arm assembly 11, means 12 adapted to successively connect to rocker arms 13 of assembly 11, and means 14 interconnected with the means 8 for reciprocating the means 12 to oscillate the rockers 13 while the tool 6 is being reciprocated.

The base comprises a support a on which are provided two pairs of longitudinally arranged brackets 15 and a pair of posts 16 in transverse arrangement, one on each side of support 10a. The posts 16 eachmount an upwardly extending slide shaft 17.

The power tool 6 is shown as an electric motor 18 on 2,758,424 Patented Aug. 14, 1956 the rotating shaft 19 on which is replaceably mounted a grinding wheel 20. The motor housing is preferably provided with an extension 21 in which said wheel is housed, the same having an upper cut-out 22a. The axis of the motor 18 is preferably horizontal, as shown, although the disposition of said axis may be changed, as desired. In any case, the motor axis is preferably parallel to the plane of base support 14. In this instance, the outer face of wheel 20 is preferably flat since the same is the face employed in refacing the rocker arms 13.

The means 7 is shown as a slide bar or shaft22 extending between the brackets 15 of each longitudinalpair thereof, ears 23 extending from the motor 18 and slidably engaged with said shafts 22, and adjustable stop collars 24 carried by shafts 22 and positioned, as desired, to limit the sliding movement of the motor relative to the base. Said collars are operatively positioned to serve as limiting abutments for ears 23 and, thereby, effect the mentioned sliding limit of the motor.

The means 8 that slidably moves the power tool 6 comprises a cross-head 25 that is provided with bosses 26 engaged over slide shafts 17. Set screws 27 fix said crosshead on shafts 17 in desired elevated position relative to motor 18. A rearward extension 28 of said cross-head 25 carries a pivot pin 29, the same constituting the fulcrum for an arm 30. The pin 29, being transverse to the axis of motor 18, the arm 30 is pivotable in a direction similar to the direction of movement of said motor.

The means 8 further includes a bracket 31 extending ice rearwardly from motor 18 and provided with a vertical slide shaft or post 32, and a fitting 33 slidingly engaged with shaft 32 and adjustably carried, as in a slot 34 formed in arm 30. Thus, for any given oscillating movement of arm 30, the sliding movement of the motor 18 on its slide means '7 may be regulated by adjusting fitting 33 toward and from fulcrum pin 29 to vary the effective length of said arm. Said shaft 32 also permits any desired elevated adjustment of cross-head 25.

The guide means 9 comprises a bracket plate 35 from which rearwardly extend parallel bars 36, the same being adjustably carried in bosses '37 provided in cross-head 25. As can be seen best from Fig. 2, bracket plate 35 may be adjusted to a desired position in a plane transverse to the axis of motor 18.

The plate 35 mounts a set of four flanged rollers or wheels 38 that are arranged in a common plane, two horizontally aligned above the other two, which are also horizontally aligned. These rollers serve as guides for bar member 10. It will be clear that member 10 is trans versely movable in the guide means 9.

The bar member 10 may be made in many ways, providing the same is adapted to removably mount a rocker arm assembly 11. To this end, the drawings show slots 39 in said member If) to receive the shanks of bolts 4% by means of which the rocker arm assembly is aflixed to bar member 10.

The rocker arm assembly 111 that is illustrated is intended as typical and may vary in design. Essentially, however, said asesmbly comprises a plurality of rocker arms 13 mounted on a shaft 41, the arms being adapted to rock or oscillate on said shaft. The assembly 11 is mounted on bar member 10 by means of bearing brackets 42 and it is these brackets that receive the threaded shanks of bolts 40. It will be seen that shaft 41 is held in horizontal position to be above and transverse to the axis of motor 18. Consequently, rocker arms 13 are adapted to oscillate around the axis of said shaft 41 so that the camengaging end 43 of each arm, when vertically aligned with the motor 15, is adapted to engage the outer surface of grinding Wheel 20. Said ends 43 of the arms are the ends that are normally in operative engagement with the cams on the cam shaft of an engine. The other ends 44 are provided with adjustable ball-ended fittings 45 that are adapted to operatively engage the stems of the engine valves. Regardless how formed, the ends 43 of said rocker arms are provided with curved faces 46 which become worn and require refacing.

The means 12 comprises a longitudinally disposed rod 47 that, at its forwardend, is provided, with a fitting 48 that is provided with a spherical socket 49 adapted. to be engaged by the ball-ended fitting 45 of an arm 13 when said arm is aligned .withfmotor-lfi. The arm end 44 is adapted to be drawn inwardly so as, to effect engagement of ball 45 and socket 49; by a finger 50 that is carried by a collar 51 slidingly mounted on rod 47, a Spring 52 being interposed between fitting 48 and said collar 51 to resiliently interconnect the rocker arm end 44 and rod; 47.

a he means 14 .fo reciproc ting the means 12. to, theret dinal bore of said han le d provided with a fingerdepressible upper end 55,?! bellcrank; lever on the pivot pin 29 and having an arm 56 ad pted to be depressed by plunger 54 against the force of a spring 57, a second and slotted arm 58 of said bellcrank lever substantially at right angles to arm 56, and a fitting 59. adjustably carried by the rearward end of rod 47 and adjustably connected in the slot of lever arm 58. The latter connection provides a pivot 60 between arm 58 and fitting 59.

From the above construction of the; means 14, it is clear thatdepression of plunger end55 will cause forward projection of rod .47 so that the end 44 of a rocker arm may be connected to said rodby the means 12. After elfectingsuch connection, and while continuing to depress end 55, the handle 53 maybe oscillated about the fulcrum 2.9, and this in turn Will I'BSlJlt in further oscillation of the rocker arm 13 while the motor 18 is being moved longitudinally, so that the curved face 46 will continually bear against the outer surface of the grinding wheel 20. Thus, due to the oscillation of said rocker armv and the simultaneous reciprocation of the motor and grinding wheel, the surface 46 is refaced in arcuate form.

It will beseen that release of plunger end 55 will allow spring 57 to exert a retractive force on rod 47 and exert a pull on,rocker arm end 44 to, withdraw the face 46 from engagement with the grinding wheel.

Thus, a four-, sixor eight armed rocker arm, assembly, or two four-armed assemblies, may be mounted on, bar member and the arms 13 thereof successively refaced by transversely sliding said member to bring each succeeding arm 13 in alignment with motor18 and connected to the means 12.

Since variousadjustments of the machine may b made according to the length bet een, the ends 433 and 44 of the rocker arms 13, the machine has considerable flexibility of use.

Whilethe foregoing has, illustrated and described, what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the constructions is, of course, subject to modificationwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is, therefore, not desired, to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that i may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Amachineof the character describedcomprising, a refacing tool having an axis ofrotation, means mounting said toolgfor rectilinear movement, means mounting a rocker arm assembly and havinga rocker arm shaft transverse to and oifsetfromthe axis of the-tool, linkage means adapted to engage a rocker arm and tobring' saidrocker arm into operative engagement with said tool, means to reciprocate the tool, and means pivotally connected to said linkage means to oscillate the, rocker arm on its shaft simultaneously with reciprocative movement of the tool.

2. A machine of the character described comprising a refacing tool having an axis of rotation, means mounting said tool for rectilinear movementpmeans mounting a rocker arm assembly and having a rocker arm shaft transverse toand offset from the axis of the tool, linkage means adapted to engage a rocker arm and to bring said rocker arm into operative engagement with said tool, guide means for said rocker arm assembly mounting means, means to reciprocate the tool, and means pivotally con nected to said linkage means to oscillatethe rocker arm on its shaft simultaneously with reciprocative movement of the. tool.

3. A machine according to claim 22' the means mounting said rocker arm assembly comprising a bar member arranged transversely to the axis of the tool and on which a plurality of rocker arm assemblies may be carried, and said guide means comprising a plurality of flanged rollers through which said. bar member is: movable to successively bring; the. rocker arm assemblies into. operative engagement with said refacing tool.

4. A means according to claimZ: the means pivotally connected to the linkage means comprising a handle common to both the tool reciprocating means: and, the linkage means to effect the mentioned simultaneous movements of each of saidmeans to therebyreface an end of said rocker arm in arcuate form.

5. In a machine of the. character described, means to mount a rocker arm assembly, said means having a shaft and there being a plurality of rocker arms mounted thereon, a rotating facing'tool positioned to have its outer engage the cam-engaging end of one of the rocker arms, means connected to the valve-stern engaging end of said one rocker arm to oscillate said rocker arm on its shaft, means toreciprocate said tool, linkage means interconnecting said arm oscillating means and said tool reciprocating means, and a handle controlling both the rocker arm oscillatingmeans and the tool reciprocating means.

6. In a machine of the character described, means to mount a rocker arm assembly, said means having a shaft and there being a plurality of rocker arms mounted thercon, a rotating facing tool positioned to have its outer face engage the cam-engaging end of one of the rocket" arms, means connected to the valve-stem engaging end of. said one rocker arm to oscillate said rocker arm. on its shaft, means, to reciprocate said tool, a linkage means interconnecting said arm oscillating means and said tool reciprocating means, a handle controlling; both the rocker arm oscillating, means and the tool reciprocating means, a finger-operated member carried by the handle, and means controlled by said member to shift, the. means cornrcctcd to the valtve-stem engaging end of the rocker arm independcntly of the movement. imparted by the handle. to said. rocker arm oscillatingz means and. said tool reripro catingzneans.

7. In a machine of the; character described, means. to mount .a rocker: arm assembly,; sa-id means having a shaft and therebeing a plurality of rocker arms mounted thereon, a. rotatable, facing tool positioned, tohave its outer face engage the cam-engaging endof one of the rocker arms, means to reciprocate said tool, a longitudinal rod disposed parallel to the axis of rotation of said tool, saidrod having one free end and theother'end pivotally connected to said tool reciprocatingcmeans, a socket member mounted at the .free, end of said rodzandladapted torengage the valve-stem engaging end of said one rocker arm to oscillate said rocker arm on the shaft; a bell crank' adfiustably connected to the other end-of-said rod, an arm connectedat one end to said tool reciprocatingmeans; a pivotpin mounting said bell crank and said arm, and a: handle at the, other end of said am, said handle being, adapted to control both the rocker arm oscillating means and the tool reciprocating means. 7

8; In a machine according to claim 7: a spring biased finger carried by said rod andadapted to hold said socket member and said end in engagement, and a finger-open ated plunger carried by said handle engaging said bell crank to shift said finger independently of any movement of said handle.

9. In a rocker arm refacing machine, the combination comprising a pair of vertical posts, a crosshead slidingly mounted on said posts, means mounted on said crosshead for mounting a rocker arm assembly, there being at least one rocker arm pivotally mounted on said mounting means, a rotatable facing tool slidingly mounted between said posts, said tool engaging the cam-engaging end of the rocker arm, an arm having a handle thereon pivotally mounted on said crosshead, said arm being connected to said tool and adapted to impart rectilinear movement thereto, linkage means interconnecting said arm and the stem-engaging end of said rocker arm, and button means on said handle for moving said linkage means to pivot said rocker arm.

10. In a rocker arm refacing machine according to claim 9: said linkage means comprising a bell crank pivotally mounted on said arm and a longitudinal rod having one end pivotally connected to one end of said bell crank and the other end engaging the stem-engaging end of said rocker arm, and said button means having a plunger engaging the other end of said bell crank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 342,290 Dutton May 18, 1886 359,964 Dutton Mar. 22, 1887 665,328 Johnston Jan. 1, 1901 1,431,024 Munthe Oct. 3, 1922 1,854,558 Olmstead Apr. 19, 1932 2,200,025 Jones May 7, 1940 2,279,798 Shelburne Apr. 14, 1942 2,294,047 Pollock Aug. 25, 1942 2,419,179 Swindle Apr. 15, 1947 2,566,893 Jones Sept. 4, 1951 2,682,136 Talbott et a1 June 29, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS I 758,108 France Oct. 23, 1933 

